By Gloria Ogbonna
Tensions between Israel and Lebanon escalated again on Monday as Lebanese officials accused Israeli forces of continuing military operations inside Lebanese territory despite a ceasefire agreement intended to end months of fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.
The latest dispute follows the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) demolition of a large underground Hezbollah military complex beneath the southern Lebanese town of Majdal Zoun on Sunday, an operation Israeli leaders described as essential to eliminating ongoing security threats against northern Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the operation had been coordinated with the United States before it was carried out.
In a joint statement, the two leaders said the underground facility represented a significant military installation built by Hezbollah and posed a continuing danger to Israeli civilians.
According to Israeli officials, the tunnel stretched more than 200 meters (656 feet) in length and reached depths exceeding 25 meters (82 feet) below ground. The complex reportedly contained hundreds of weapons, ammunition stockpiles, and several underground launch sites designed to fire rockets into Israeli territory.
“The tunnel contained hundreds of weapons and several launch silos intended to target the territory of the State of Israel and its citizens,” Netanyahu and Katz said.
The Israeli government stressed that military operations inside southern Lebanon would continue as long as Hezbollah maintains infrastructure capable of threatening Israel’s northern communities.
“IDF commanders and fighters will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon and will continue to destroy terrorist infrastructure, remove threats to northern communities, and safeguard the security of Israel’s citizens,” the statement added.
The Majdal Zoun tunnel was originally scheduled for demolition last week alongside several other Hezbollah military facilities located near the historic Beaufort Castle. However, Israeli officials delayed the operation after requests from U.S. officials during ongoing regional diplomatic efforts involving Iran.
Israeli forces also temporarily suspended an operation targeting another extensive Hezbollah tunnel network beneath the Ali Taher ridge as part of those diplomatic understandings.
Sunday’s demolition was eventually carried out by soldiers from Israel’s 551st Brigade together with the elite Yahalom Combat Engineering Unit. Military engineers said the tunnel’s depth made it impossible to destroy using conventional airstrikes, requiring explosives to be placed directly within the underground structure.
Israeli media also reported that another controlled explosion targeting Hezbollah infrastructure was conducted near Beaufort Castle on Monday as operations continued throughout southern Lebanon.
The Majdal Zoun complex had already been the scene of intense fighting earlier this month when Israeli forces captured the area. According to Israeli military officials, at least 20 Hezbollah fighters were killed during the battle to seize control of the underground facility.
Following Sunday’s demolition, Hezbollah accused Israel of repeatedly violating the ceasefire agreement.
In a statement released Monday, the group cited Israeli airstrikes, drone attacks, the destruction of the Majdal Zoun tunnel, and what it described as the dropping of “suspicious objects” over multiple areas in southern Lebanon.
Residents also reported increased Israeli drone activity over the southern Lebanese cities of Sidon and Nabatieh, as well as surrounding villages.
“The Islamic Resistance reiterates that the enemy’s actions constitute a blatant violation of the ceasefire to which it has adhered thus far,” Hezbollah said.
The organization added that it is documenting what it considers ceasefire violations and reserved what it called the right to defend Lebanon and its people if attacks continue.
Meanwhile, Lebanese authorities reported that approximately 400,000 of the nearly one million civilians displaced by months of conflict have now returned to their homes in southern Lebanon.
With thousands of families returning, the Lebanese government has closed 213 of the 692 temporary reception centers that had been established to shelter displaced residents during the fighting.
Attention is now increasingly focused on the Lebanese government’s repeated pledge to disarm Hezbollah and prevent the militant organization from launching future attacks against Israel.
Security analysts say the success or failure of that commitment could determine whether Israel eventually withdraws from the security zone it currently controls inside southern Lebanon.
Writing for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, research fellow Hussain Abdul-Hussain argued that the latest agreement differs significantly from previous ceasefire arrangements because it links Israel’s future withdrawal from southern Lebanon directly to Hezbollah’s disarmament.
According to Abdul-Hussain, earlier ceasefires allowed Hezbollah time to rebuild its military capabilities, while the current arrangement leaves Lebanon with what he described as a clear choice: dismantle Hezbollah’s military infrastructure and confiscate its weapons or risk Israel maintaining its military presence in southern Lebanon indefinitely.
He also suggested Hezbollah’s strong opposition to the agreement demonstrates that the organization sees the new arrangement as a serious threat to its long-term influence inside Lebanon.
“Hezbollah’s moves are not the actions of a confident movement,” Abdul-Hussain argued. “They are the response of a militia that understands a sovereign Lebanese government negotiating peace threatens its Iranian project more than battlefield losses do.”
Despite those assessments, some Israeli residents living near the Lebanese border remain skeptical that the agreement will produce lasting security improvements.
Eitan Davidi, chairman of the Israeli border community of Margaliot, warned that Hezbollah may once again be using the ceasefire to regroup and rebuild its military strength.
“We’re in a kind of euphoria right now,” Davidi told Ynet News. “I feel people are getting carried away and aren’t reading the situation correctly. I don’t think this agreement brings any real breakthrough, and I don’t know how it improves our security.”
Although Davidi welcomed Lebanon’s formal recognition of Israel and supported the IDF remaining inside the security buffer zone until the Hezbollah threat is eliminated, he questioned whether the Lebanese government possesses the political or military strength necessary to disarm the Iran-backed organization.
“It’s not that I don’t believe the Lebanese don’t want to do it,” he said. “They very much want to, but they can’t. In effect, we’ve signed an agreement with a government that’s incapable of delivering results and cannot disarm Hezbollah.”
Israeli military officials also indicated that their presence in southern Lebanon is unlikely to end soon.
According to officials speaking to Israeli media, the current agreement commits the IDF only to a future “redeployment” or “repositioning” of troops rather than a complete withdrawal from Lebanese territory.
One senior Israeli military source said any future redeployment would depend on political decisions and whether Israeli leaders are satisfied that Hezbollah no longer poses a military threat.
“As of this moment, the IDF is not withdrawing from anywhere,” the official said. “It is not clear when and how the withdrawal will actually be carried out, and this depends on the guarantees that we see from the political echelon.”
Israeli officials also expressed cautious optimism that the agreement could lead to greater coordination between the IDF and the Lebanese Armed Forces, potentially strengthening efforts to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its military infrastructure.
That cooperation could soon face another major test.
Israeli military planners have reportedly identified an even larger underground Hezbollah complex beneath the area surrounding Beaufort Castle. Intelligence assessments suggest the site includes multiple fortified tunnels, including a four-story underground bunker reportedly constructed with Iranian assistance.
Israeli officials also believe another section of the tunnel network may still contain dozens of Hezbollah fighters trapped underground following recent military operations. According to reports, Israeli forces have indicated they do not intend to allow those militants to leave unless they surrender.
As ceasefire negotiations continue alongside ongoing military operations, both Israel and Lebanon remain under intense international scrutiny, with regional stability likely to depend on whether diplomatic commitments can prevent another full-scale conflict along one of the Middle East’s most volatile frontiers.
Source Breitbart
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